Anyone Else Disappointed by Soarin Around the World?

[coaches24]

Yeah, the Eiffel Tower was a really bad choice for that very reason.

We did it 4 times when we were there last month. It's remarkable how different it is from different positions in the theater.

So the middle is the best place to see it? We are going in two weeks and will see the new one for the first time. I usually dont care where I sit on this ride but if its much better in the middle then I will try and request that.

 

[mom2rtk]

So the middle is the best place to see it? We are going in two weeks and will see the new one for the first time. I usually dont care where I sit on this ride but if its much better in the middle then I will try and request that.

Yes, the middle has the least distortion.

 

[grelca]

I like it just fine, but I definitely noticed the distortion in the video. I thought at the time it was because I was sitting on an edge seat, but maybe not now? Either way, that's really something they should've thought about, even if it does only affect the sides and not the middle.

I don't mind that they changed it, but there's a part of me that thinks it's weird. It made sense to have a CA Soarin at DCA. It always made less sense to me at Epcot, even though I've always loved it. Soarin Around the World makes a ton of sense at Epcot, though. Not as much at a park that's supposed to be "California"

 

[jetskigrl]

We definitely prefer the old version over the new one. DH, DS and I are OK with the new one but DD hates it (too much CGI for her). Other than the opening scene, which she did really like. But she said the whole thing went downhill after the first scene.

 

[SMD]

The Eiffel Tower isn't centered in the video, It distorts no matter where you sit. There are other places, like Kilimanjaro where the peak distorts as you pass it, but since most people don't know the exact shape and it's a natural object it's not as jarring.

 

[lwanthony]

My wife and I LOVED the old version. Rode it every chance we got. We saw the new version and it was a big fat Meh..... Too much CGI, the transitions are jarring and forced. Too much distortion, and all in all it just tries too hard to be better than the original, and they lost the magic that made the original so good.

How ever, I was really impressed with how they were able to use the original sound track for the most part, just changed and arranged to fit each new land you visited. They did a great job with that, which was my biggest fear.

All in all, on a normal trip we would go on SOC every day at least once and some times several times. SOW we went on twice over 5 days and that seemed like plenty for us. JMHO

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

It was fun to see a new version, but it just lacked something......

As others have mentioned, feeling like you are really hang gliding, etc. -- the CA version was more fun/whimsical.

 

[Chiomaca]

Yeah, the Eiffel Tower was a really bad choice for that very reason.

We did it 4 times when we were there last month. It's remarkable how different it is from different positions in the theater.

They were having problems with the system in early November. When I rode, only two of the three chair lift things were working and by the time the other half of my party went around (we used the baby pass), only one was working and they shut it down completely for hours. I'd have liked to ride it again in the center, but half the fun for me was seeing places I've been or adding places to my list of places I want to visit now.

(Side note - I had a little girl this summer and now I'm looking at the dresses you've made for your daughter with a completely different set of eyes!)

 

[mom2rtk]

They were having problems with the system in early November. When I rode, only two of the three chair lift things were working and by the time the other half of my party went around (we used the baby pass), only one was working and they shut it down completely for hours. I'd have liked to ride it again in the center, but half the fun for me was seeing places I've been or adding places to my list of places I want to visit now.

(Side note - I had a little girl this summer and now I'm looking at the dresses you've made for your daughter with a completely different set of eyes!)

You're very sweet. Congrats on the baby girl! I hope you have a great time dressing her for years to come! Mine is 16 now and that phase is over, but I cherish every moment of it.

That's interesting that they had issues with Soarin when you were there. We were there the 15th to the 20th and our 4th (and final) ride had issues with the cameras lining up. One part of the screen was out of synch with the rest. It was a very strange showing for sure!

We enjoyed trying to figure out the significance of each scene and which Disney movie it related to.

Mostly, we had just seen the original Soarin so many times through the years that we were more than ready for a new experience.

 

[Chiomaca]

You're very sweet. Congrats on the baby girl! I hope you have a great time dressing her for years to come! Mine is 16 now and that phase is over, but I cherish every moment of it.

That's interesting that they had issues with Soarin when you were there. We were there the 15th to the 20th and our 4th (and final) ride had issues with the cameras lining up. One part of the screen was out of synch with the rest. It was a very strange showing for sure!

We enjoyed trying to figure out the significance of each scene and which Disney movie it related to.

Mostly, we had just seen the original Soarin so many times through the years that we were more than ready for a new experience.

Thank you. We were there 10th-14th, so just missed you. The ride issues were on the 12th because everyone who wasn't running the next morning went back to the ride and the dummies/runners went to bed early.

I've been pretty resistant to anything princess-related for my girl, but I sort of hope she'll want to dress up (and that she'll want something I make instead of a purchased dress) for Disney visits for a few years at least.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thank you. We were there 10th-14th, so just missed you. The ride issues were on the 12th because everyone who wasn't running the next morning went back to the ride and the dummies/runners went to bed early.

I've been pretty resistant to anything princess-related for my girl, but I sort of hope she'll want to dress up (and that she'll want something I make instead of a purchased dress) for Disney visits for a few years at least.

On the up side, the other film was around for many years, so I'm sure this one will be too. So I'm sure you'll get many chances to ride again!

It's funny, but I never put my daughter in a princess dress until she was 3. I got this great spider fabric to make her a witch costume that year and she was all freaked out about the spiders! So at the last minute, I played it safe and made her first princess gown instead (Snow White). We were both sort of hooked after that.

 

[Rabb it]

It was so awful, the idea is good, but instead of filming they CGI'd the whole thing.. The animation during Aladdin's "Whole New World" scene was better animation than the new Soarin ride..

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

We did it 4 times on our last trip and loved every minute of it.

I'm so glad you wrote this! I was starting to freak out a little that the new version was horrid.

I do wish they would play the California version on one side and the World version on the other. It would be like having two rides instead of one. I realize it wouldn't help with ride capacity at all, but I can definitely see how they would get more people in line at that particular attraction if most people felt a need to ride both versions.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Thank you. We were there 10th-14th, so just missed you. The ride issues were on the 12th because everyone who wasn't running the next morning went back to the ride and the dummies/runners went to bed early.

I've been pretty resistant to anything princess-related for my girl, but I sort of hope she'll want to dress up (and that she'll want something I make instead of a purchased dress) for Disney visits for a few years at least.

We were there that same time period. We only rode Soarin' once...on Sunday the 13th (at night). only the left and center section of seats were working..the right side was closed. We were lucky and ended up in the center. I didn't notice any other issues with it other than the one section not working.

 

[Oswald23]

I liked the feel of the old one better. And the way the Eiffel Tower en the Taj Mahal is shown is just afwul. The Eiffel tower looks like the tower of Pisa. On the other hand, the Igazu Waterfalls and the North Pole are fantastic.

 

[Mousequake]

Just to take a slight diversion-- there are a lot of complaints about the excessive use in CGI in the new version of Soarin, so here's a little trivia question concerning CGI and Soarin:

There are four CGI elements in the original Soarin over CA video. What are they?

 

[SMD]

Just to take a slight diversion-- there are a lot of complaints about the excessive use in CGI in the new version of Soarin, so here's a little trivia question concerning CGI and Soarin:

There are four CGI elements in the original Soarin over CA video. What are they?

The golf ball and the fireworks... My guess is the hang glider and jets, but if not the jets, maybe the otters in the ocean were helped.

 

[lorijohnhill]

As someone who rides Soarin with my eyes shut for a lot of it, I will say I had to shut my eyes less in the new one. (I get terrible motion sickness, but I ride it with my daughter because she loves it.) I did not enjoy the transitions rushing my face after every single clip. I think it would have been better to change them up some. I found the Elephant scene smell a bit strong and lasting too long. I felt like I was choking on dirt.

 

[cptmemo]

We miss the original one. On our 5 day trip, we saw the new version once. It never really jumped back on to our MUST DO list after the first ride.

 

[Mousequake]

The golf ball and the fireworks... My guess is the hang glider and jets, but if not the jets, maybe the otters in the ocean were helped.

You got three of the four-- the golf ball, the fireworks, and the hang glider are CGI. I'll hold off for a bit on revealing the fourth one to see if anyone can get it. It's a tough one.